A Helping Hand
by 82and9make91
Summary: When Lucy suddenly finds her kitchen destroyed shes surprised that Gray is the first to offer help, and they are both surprised about what they learn about each other along the way.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, I got into Fairy Tail recently and this is my first story for it, I expect this to be fairly short however, probably five chapters at the most, I hope you enjoy._

_Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima  
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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

It was destroyed.

Lucy stood there with her mouth wide open as she stared at what use to be her kitchen. Cabinet doors broken, counter tops crushed, and the median in the middle of the room was smashed into pieces.

Mere moments ago she was practicing summoning two spirits at once and seeing how long she could withstand it. The only two spirits available at the time were Taurus and Loki, therefore she summoned them both thinking that nothing strange would happen. However, from the moment both spirits were summoned they began to argue about which of them loved her the most. An argument turned into a shoving match and that eventually turned into an all out battle. Luckily she was able to seal them both away before they destroyed all of her apartment, but unfortunately her kitchen was now left in its current demolished state.

"I...I can barely afforded to stay here...how can I afford to fix all this?" Lucy proclaimed as she looked over the damage. She also silently cursed the two responsible for this. She still cared for them of course, but it would be a while before she forgave them.

The feeling of dread was made worst when she remembered her plans for the rest of the evening were to take a long bath and curl up with a good book. With Natsu and Erza away on jobs she was looking forward to not being interrupted by them, but now it really didn't matter

She decided that she would deal with this new problem in the morning as she left her home with hope that the fresh air would help her growing head ache.

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><p>Lucy walked swiftly up to the bar and sat down without making a sound. A part of her was trying its best not to draw any attention, not that she needed much help, considering it was a late Friday afternoon and most members of the guild were being distracted by the louder and more exciting things happening around them.<p>

She put her elbows on the bar and her chin in her palms. She wasn't exactly upset but she was far from being happy at the moment. She sighed and listened to the semi-controlled chaos happening around her and just as she was starting to feel like she didn't exist she heard a sweet voice call to her.

"Are you alright Lucy-chan? You don't look well"

Mirajane was standing in front of her balancing a tray covered in mugs and glasses on her hip. A sad smile graced her lips and she had a look of concern on her face.

Lucy never understood how she did it, but Mirajane always seemed to know when someone was feeling down, even if they weren't showing any physical sighs. The young Celestial Mage had always intended to ask the older women if she used some kind of magic to find out peoples moods but she never got around to it.

"I'm just a little down Mira-san..." Lucy replied softly.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Mirajane asked in a concerned voice and placed the tray on the bar.

Lucy would be lying to herself if she said she didn't come to the guild in part to talk to someone about her problems. Almost instantly her expression changed and she perked up in her seat. "Well its not like something terrible happened, so don't get worried or anything..."

Mirajane seemed less concerned but still interested so Lucy continued and told her what had happened.

"Oh I'm so sorry to hear that!" the older women said and placed her hand on her cheek.

"Yeah...I've had a little bit of money saved just in case something like this happened, but I don't even know how much it would cost or how long it would take to get it all fixed. Not to mention my landlady refused to help me." Lucy explained sadly.

"I can help you."

Lucy followed the sound of the voice and looked behind her and saw Gray standing there, surprisingly fully clothed. He looked down at Lucy with one of his usual semi-bored expressions but she could tell he was serious.

"G-Gray your really willing to help her fix some things?" Mirajane asked with surprise clear in her voice. Lucy said nothing but took a mental note of her reaction.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Gray asked confused.

"Oh, no reason!" Mirajane replied quickly and pretended to wipe down the bar.

"Y-you'd really help me?" Lucy asked him cheerfully.

Gray sighed and sat down next to her. "Of course, I don't know why the two of you are so surprised that I'd be willing to help a friend. Besides I hang around at your place a lot so its the least I can do right?"

For the thousandth time, Lucy was thankful for being in such a great guild.

"I doubt you want to do anything tonight, so hows tomorrow morning sound?" Gray asked as Mirajane poured him a drink and he nodded in gratitude.

"Thats a bit early isn't it? I mean you haven't seen how bad it is, plus I still have to buy materials..." Lucy explained while looking into her drink. She looked back at Gray and saw that he had a serious look on his face. Almost as if he was doing calculations.

"Well..." he spoke after a few seconds. "...we should have extra materials lying around from fixing the guild. It shouldn't be to much so I don't think anyone would mind."

"Is that really alright?"

"If its to help a guild member then I don't see why not." Mirajane proclaimed happily.

"Alright, I'll be there around ten, and I'll bring what we need with me." Gray explained and finished his drink. He then stood up and stretched his arms over his head.

"Gray, your clothes..." Mirajane said with a smile.

Gray looked down and saw that he was down to his boxers. He jerked slightly and made a sound of anger in his throat. Then he turned and looked away as if trying to pretend nothing had happened.

"I know you can't always help it, but please show up with cloths on tomorrow. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea..." Lucy pleaded with him and sighed.

"Y-yeah, well see ya." Gray said and waved to them both as he walked away.

Lucy followed him with her eyes until she saw him exit the guild. She turned back towards the bar and smiled. The young girl was truly glad that she was friends with the ice mage.

"That was nice of Gray wasn't it?" Mirajane said which caused her to look at the white haired women. She watched as she picked up the now empty glass from the spot Gray had been sitting. Mirajane then wiped the spot of the bar with a rag and placed the glass back onto the tray that had yet to leave her hands.

Then Lucy saw as the older women's lips turned into an undeniable and devilish smirk. She turned to Lucy with her eyes shining with determination

"You know, I think he might love y-"

"I don't want to hear that again!" Lucy shouted. She instantly regretted it ,however, because all the eyes of the guild were now on her. She blushed wildly, sank down into her sit, and took a sip of her drink as Mirajane laughed softly.

_TBC._

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><p><em>Sorry, nothing much happened in this chapter but I had to set things up. I mean for this to be a friendship kind of story, but if you want it to be it could also be a GrayLucy. I can't really decided who I ship in Fairy Tail anyway haha, Well I'll try to update when I can_, _so bye for now and I'd love to read your reviews :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! Writers Block and other things delayed me, but chapter two is finally here. Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Gray isn't a morning person.

He fought back a yawn as be placed the bundle of wood down on the sidewalk outside of Lucy's apartment.

It was simply good timing that he had walked into the guild last night when Lucy had been there. His eyes instantly locked on to her because she lacked her usual happy spirit and it was a contrast to the rest of the normal guild around her. He heard enough of her conversation and rather uncharacteristically offered his help almost instantly. Not that he was the kind of person to deny help to a friend that asked him, but he also wasn't the kind of person to openly volunteer so quickly.

Despite all that, here he was with the morning sun burning his eyes.

Normally he and the others would enter Lucy's apartment anyway they wished. Usually Gray, Natsu, and Happy would enter through a window she left open and then they would open the door for Erza, but he decided to simply use the door this day. The young man picked up the bundle he had just placed down in his right hand and carried a tool box in the other. He swiftly walked up the steps and knocked on the door a few times making sure not to be to loud but still loud enough to be heard. He then waited a few seconds.

Nothing.

He knocked again in the same manner and waited a few moments.

Again nothing.

If it had been anyone else's door that he was banging on he would have become frustrated at this point, but ever since he meet Lucy he found it difficult to feel anger towards her. So he simply sighed and knocked once more.

"Oi Lucy! I said ten right?" he shouted fairly loudly, but not in an angry tone. It was then that he heard a small thud coming from the house which was followed by quick footsteps. He listened as the sounds continued to move across the building and then heard them as they made their way down the stairs.

"_She must have overslept...thats not really like her..."_ he thought absentmindedly as the footsteps finally reached the door. Then it was swung open.

"Gray! I'm so sorry! I forgot to set my alarm, I'm just so use to sleeping in on Saturday's that I totally spaced out about it! Here you are going out of your way to help me and I did something like that! You must think I'm terrible!" Lucy blurted out as her face continued to grow in darker shades of red. Her hair was also uncharacteristically all over the place. More proof that she had just woken up.

"Umm...you do know its not a big deal right?" Gray said quietly. He had come to except that Lucy sometimes overreacted.

"Umm...well...come on in." she said softly and opened the door the rest of the way. Gray nodded and walked passed her. He briefly noticed what she was wearing as he did as well. A white tank top and pick shorts, in other words her pajamas.

Gray mentally kicked himself for staring at her for a little longer then he should have, he did that a lot with girls from the guild but he had become a master of making it seem like he was doing something else. A skill he wasn't sure he was proud of.

Lucy walked swiftly in front of him and held her arms in front of her in an attempt to cover herself a little. _I really should have gotten dressed first! _She screamed in her mind.

"I''m going to get dressed really quick. You can go and look at the kitchen if you want." she told him as they started to walk up the stairs.

"Alright"

And once they reached the top of the stairs they went in separate directions.

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><p>Lucy felt embarrassed for several reasons as she struggled to pick out clothes as quickly as she could. The first reason being that she had overslept, and the second being that she had completely overreacted to over sleeping. The third reason was that she had been in front of a guy wearing next to nothing, and even if it was someone who she felt she knew well and could trust, it still felt awkward.<p>

She tried to put it all behind her however, as she looked briefly through her closet. Today was going to be a long one, and the last thing she wanted was to get in Gray's way because of her own insecurity.

She decided on something simple to wear. Just jeans and an old light blue t-shirt that she had forgotten she had. Then she made herself look presentable by doing her hair in the usual way and adding a little make up. She looked at herself in the mirror and with a nod of approval she was off.

She went down stairs and found Gray facing away from her with his arms crossed. He was standing at the entrance to the kitchen of course and he seemed to be looking over the damage. She continued walking and stood next time him. Looking at the room for the first time since the incident took place Lucy couldn't help but feel depressed. It actually seemed worse then she remembered. _I bet Gray is regretting agreeing to help _she thought sadly and looked at him on her left.

He had an almost blank look on his face as his eyes moved back and forth across the room. Having nothing else to to, and not wanting to disturb him by talking, Lucy continued to simply gaze at him for a few seconds until the unexpected happened.

Gray smirked.

She had seen that look on his face many times before, but most of the time he was covered in bruises and dirt, because that was the look he gave an enemy when he realized that he had the upper hand. It was an interesting mixture of boastfulness and excitement that also normally included some anger, but Lucy noticed that he seemed more amused then angry, which relieved her a great deal.

"As always, your unbelievably lucky Lucy." he said happily and turned to her.

"R-really?" she questioned as she looked back at the mess in front of her.

"It looks worse then it actually is. The cabinet doors may be broken but the hinges are still there and in one piece so I can replace them pretty easily. They won't match the unbroken ones, but at least your have them. The counter taps and the median will be a little harder, and I'll have to go back the guild for more wood and supplies, but the bottom line is that there isn't anything that needs to be done thats beyond my reach. I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to help you as much as you needed..." Gray explained calmly to her.

Lucy looked back at him and Gray wished he could see her that happy all the time. "Thats great! Thank you Gray!" she practically sang.

"Umm, yeah lets get started." the young man said and looked away in embarrassment.

The two of them spent the next hour and a half removing anything in the kitchen that needed to be thrown away. For the most part that was broken pieces of wood, shattered pieces of glass and plates, plus anything else Lucy felt that she didn't need or want anymore. They spoke with each other as they did as well. Mostly about the guild and reminiscing about missions they and gone on. Gray also couldn't help but notice that she seemed much happier since she told her the news about the kitchen, and he couldn't help but feel happy along with her. As a result the mood between them was lively and fun.

"...So that ice rose in Erza's room WAS from you." Lucy said playfully and winked at him.

"Umm, yeah thats kind of a long story." Gray muttered back and prayed she couldn't see him blush.

They were currently walking down the sidewalk while carrying the last and largest piece of wood to the dumpster. Gray held one side and Lucy held the other as he walked backwards. Normally they would have put it in the dumpster closest to her apartment, but that one was currently filled to capacity with all of the other unwanted things from the kitchen. As a result they were now traveling to the next closest one which was located down the street.

"I'll hold you to that sometime. I asked Erza about it once but she changed the subject." Lucy said smoothly.

"Its not what you think alright!" he said back getting a little frustrated. But he was in to good a mood at the moment to be upset for long. "Besides...you know I'm not a one woman kind of guy." he said jokingly. He also turned his head so his hair caught in the wind as if he was the cover of a bad romance novel.

"Yeah, especially blue haired women right?" the blonde girl responded. She also smirked when she saw Gray had a look of confusion on his face.

"I don't get it..." Gray said back dumbfounded.

"Never mind..." Lucy sighed.

Eventually they reached they're destination and with that the first part of the 'mission' was over.

Once they returned back to the apartment Lucy had the the sad feeling in the pit of her stomach that her usefulness had run its course. Now there was nailing, sawing ,and hammering to do. None of which she had much or any experience at. Having been very privileged when she was younger, whenever something was broken at her home her father would simply hire someone to fix it. She remembered being interested in watching the people work, but her father wouldn't allow her and simply forced her to study instead. Having followed that train of thought for a while her own curiosity got the better of her and it asked only one question.

How did Gray know how to do all this?

They started working after a short break in which Lucy had to remind Gray to put his shirt back on for the first time. She let it slide however, because he had lasted until that point and it was clear he was putting an effort into it.

Gray explained his plan to her and she nodded and tried her best to follow what he was saying. They got started and eventually they created a system of her handing him things as he worked. Lucy felt relieved that she was still helping and she didn't feel like she was in his way. The mood remained the same and they continued to talk.

"So thats what happened on your first mission huh? I knew there had to be more behind it then just destroying a book.."Gray told her as he hammered another nail into place. He was currently replacing a cabinet door that was under the median in the middle of the room. He was sitting down in front of it and Lucy sat a safe distance behind him with the tool box next to her in case she need to hand him something.

"Well it was interesting to say the least." Lucy laughed.

As Gray continued to work she couldn't help but feel her curiosity grow. He truly seemed to know what he was doing, and she couldn't help but wonder how.

"G-gray do you mind if I ask you a question?" Lucy asked in a shaky voice.

Noticing the sudden change in her tone Gray slowed down so he could hear her better. "Yeah, of course."

"Well its just umm, you really look like you know what your doing and I-I was just wondering how you know all this stuff." Lucy said softly and watched for a reaction.

Gray stopped what he was doing for a second or two as if he was thinking about something. That was something she appreciated about him. Unlike Natsu he thought before he spoke, or at least most of the time. He continued to work at a slower pace then before and Lucy couldn't help but lean in a little as she awaited for his reply. Then finally Gray spoke in a serious and understanding voice.

"My Father was a carpenter.."

_TBC._

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><p><em>I'd like to thank all the reviewers from chapter one and I hope to read more of your reviews for this chapter. Also I'd like to ask you something, you see sense this is my first 'Fairy Tail' story I want to make sure I'm writing the characters in character. So do you think I am? I mean could you see them acting and speaking like this in the AnimeManga? I'd appreciate your feedback and as always I'll try to update as soon as possible. :)  
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	3. Chapter 3

_Are you shocked? I finally updated. This is the final chapter as well. So finally, here you go. :)_

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><p>She froze.<p>

Her mind went blank and she found it hard to breath. All she knew about Gray's parents are the things she had learned on Tenrou Island, that they had been killed by Deliora when he was young. She had never asked him more because she didn't think it was appropriate, but in all honesty she had always been a little curious.

There was silence and she immediately began to feel guilt.

"I-I...sorry...I didn't mine to-"

"No, its fine" Gray interrupted her. She could tell he was trying to sound more cheerful and change the mood. "You told me some things about your Mom, and in a way I've kind of felt like I owed you anyway..."

"Oh..." was all she could manage.

"_Well, I managed to make this horribly awkward!" _Lucy mentally screamed at herself. Regret about bringing it up started to take over, but her curiosity remained. The last thing she wanted was to drag any of his painful memories into the light though, so she remained quit and tried to think of something to say to break the tension.

"S-so this weather right?!" she blurted out. _"Way to be generic Lucy!"_

Gray stopped once more.

"Do you want to know about him?" he said calmly as if it wasn't really something of importance.

"If...it doesn't bother you then yes." she told him honestly. "Did he teach you how to do this stuff?"

Gray laughed. It was almost a bitter laugh but still manage to sound cheerful. "No, he only taught me very basic stuff, and everything else I know is from the times he let me watch him work. He told me he'd teach me every thing I needed to know when I was older" he paused as if remembering something he had forgotten. "He was amazing. If he were here he'd be able to do a lot better then I can. You wouldn't be stuck with all this makeshift stuff I'm putting together for you."

"Beggars can't be choosers, and I think your doing great. Have a thanked you in the last five minutes?" Lucy explained with sarcasm lacing her last sentence. "He sounds like a great man Gray."

"He was." he paused and looked down at the open palm of his right hand. "Its kind of ironic. He didn't need magic to create amazing things. All he need was his hands and a few tools and it was like anything you could imagine would be there in an instant."

He sat there staring at his open and hand and Lucy simply looked on and wondered what thoughts were running through his head. Then suddenly he turned his hand into a fist and looked back at her.

"I think I'm about done here." he said while opening and closing the newly repaired cabinet door in front of him.

"Uhh, yes it looks wonderful! Thank You!" she practically sung.

Gray scowled and reached his hand over until it was in front of her face. He then proceed to poke her in the forehead with two figures in a decently forceful manner. Shocked and in a little pain, Lucy swiftly covered her forehead and began to rub the spot in hopes that there would be no mark left behind.

"You need to stop saying that. I thought you would have understood by now that I don't work like that. Whether its something simple like this or life and death, I'm _always _going to have your back, and thats something you'll never have to 'thank' me for. Understand?" he told her in a serious tone.

With her hands still on her forehead she nodded softly to show him she knew what he meant.

"Alright, do you have anything else for me? I think we're about done in here."

"Well..." she began and moved her hands to her lap. "There is one thing."

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><p>Lucy sat in a lawn cheer across the street with a glass of lemonade in her hand. With her eyes now being covered by sunglasses she looked to her roof where Gray was hard at work nailing new panels into place. Her roof had needed repair for some time but her landlady had used the excuse of Lucy's often late rent as a reason for her to not do anything about it. But seeing as he was eager and willing to help, she saw no reason for him not fix said problem for her.<p>

Not to mention, the fact that he now had a legitimate excuse to not wear his shirt at the moment, gave her a pretty nice view at the moment. So she felt a little guilty as she watched him work from a far. They had mutually agreed that she would do nothing but get in the way up there, so after she made him promise several times that he wouldn't hurt himself, he got to work.

She was just about to refresh her glass from the pitcher next to her when she was suddenly interrupted by a sweet voice.

"Hard at work?" Mirajane's voice softly asked.

"M-Mira-san!?" Lucy blurted out and nearly dropped her glass and the pitcher. "What are you doing here?" she followed up with after she had gathered herself.

The white haired women laughed cheerfully. '"I came to see how the two of you were doing." Her blue eyes swifted to Gray hard at work on the roof. "I see your enjoying the view." she told her with that all knowing voice she had.

"I-Its not like that!" Lucy almost shouted and blushed. "It was just..I uhh.."

Mira simply laughed and held her hand in front of her to stop the other women from embarrassing herself any farther. "Its alright I understand"

After a short while the older of the two took a glass herself and took small sips from it as they both looked on in silence.

"You know..." Mira started to say and caught Lucy's attention. "...sometimes after everyone destroys the guild during one of our parties, Gray will come back after everyone is gone and helped me fix things. I always got the feeling that it was something very private for him and thats why he didn't do it in front of the others, so I've never told anyone about it. Thats why yesterday, when he volunteered to help you I was a little shocked. But I guess it just shows how much he trust you."

Lucy looked up at her with a slightly surprised look on her face. She was so new to the guild compared to the others and yet he had done something like that for her? She was already beyond grateful to him but after what Mira had just told her, she now felt even more gratitude towards him.

"I think that some day, a girl out there is going to be extremely lucky to have him as her husband." Mira added and looked back to him.

"Yeah..." Lucy subconsciously agreed while still partially lost in her own thoughts.

A few moments a silence past by before Mira gained her infamous smirk and started to say excitedly "And maybe that girl will be you Lu-"

"Enough of that!"

Meanwhile, Gray rolled his eyes as he finished putting a nail into place.

_The End._

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><p><em>Lets start off by apologizing for the long wait. I've been so busy with countless stories and just life in general that this story kind of got swept under the rug. But I decided I needed to finish this story since so many of you seemed to like it. I apologize again if it feels like a lackluster ending. I've kind of fallen out of the Fairy Tail fandom so I was worried I wouldn't be able to do this story justice. I did my best though and I hope you like it. Like always, if you feel like it, I appreciate reviews. :)<em>


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